Chapter 3Step-by-step: Designing Performance Assessment Tasks

All information comes from The Keys by Paul Sandrock

Main points

focuses on how to design performance assessments

provides a step by step process that helps develop performance assessments

steps provide a clear goal/outcome for students and teacher

activities lead to the final outcome of the unit

Step 4

Step 2 Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 3

Step 1

How to implement in the classroom

Ways to implement in classroom

This chapter will help me in planning units. I will use the guided steps and

charts to really think through each step. Because I am focusing on

transforming my lessons to performance tasks, this will really help me in

doing so. The steps and charts leave clear guidelines and expectations, which

will be very beneficial. I am looking forward to begin this transition and am

thankful I have been provided with such useful resources.

Step 1: Create a rich and engaging

thematic focus

Thematic units need to have some type of question that students will be able

to answer at the end. The question helps guide teachers in their instruction

and students in their learning. By having a clear question, the teacher will

also know what language is needed in order to answer the question.

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Step 2: Identify what students need to do to

demonstrate their learning

In step 2, the teacher brainstorms ideas of how the students will use the

language throughout the unit. The teacher also needs to keep in mind the

targeted language level.

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Step 3:Evaluate tasks against the targeted

level of proficiency

Step 3 compares the characteristics of the targeted language level t to the

tasks identified in step 2. Teachers need to provide activities that also

students to increate and develop their language skills.

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Step 4: Sort performance tasks as

formative or summative

Teachers need to identity the intended formative and summative

assessments. Formative assessments provides checks for the teacher and

students to measure student progress. Summative assessments are used to

measure the knowledge gained.

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Step 5: Fine-tune and integrate the

summative performance tasks

This step ties the context and assessments together. The tasks (interpretive,

presentational, and interpersonal) form a cycle, where each one should feed

of the others.

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Step 6: Incorporate other standards to

enrich the unit of instruction and

performance tasks Step 6 uses other standards (example: the 5 C’s) to enrich the unit or lessons.

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Step 7: Pilot with students and use the

results to adjust the assessment tasks

Step 7 leads teachers to think about the results and how each task will affect

the students’ progress.

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